Marital Duty
by Windswift
Summary: [Skyward Sword] [Post-game] Link and Zelda are trying to make a baby, and he did not exactly realize how much work this entailed when he signed up for it.


Disclaimer: I don't own The Legend of Zelda

Sexually-oblivious!Link is my favorite Link, yes.

_**Marital Duty**_

Link stands about knee-deep in the shallows of Lake Floria, squinting against the glare of the sun on the water as he soaks the washing, and that's where Faron finds him.

"You know, boy," Faron says, "I always took you for the quiet sort. But you've actually got quite an impressive set of lungs on you."

That's what Zelda said, actually. Link looks up from the sheet he's wringing the rest of the lake out of, and he's not entirely sure why everyone keeps telling him this today.

Faron looks back at him with an expression that is difficult to interpret, possibly because she is a dragon and possibly because he never quite understands what anyone expects of him without being told.

Link tosses the mostly-wrung end of the sheet over his shoulder to keep it out of the water and continues working. Not that he means to be rude, because he likes Faron, but he'd like to get as much of the washing done as he can before she comes up with a new water tax.

Faron has a tax for everything, some days ("If I just _gave_ this to every human who wandered into my forest then where would I be? No, boy, you're going to have to earn it, so listen closely."), and even if it's only ever him who has to pay them for some reason, and never Zelda, Link doesn't really mind the extra errands. It's just that he's already got the washing started, and he wants to hurry back home and pin the laundry up on the lines. When it's left stuffed in the basket for hours because Link abandons it for another chore, all the washing dries stiff and funny.

Faron says nothing about a water tax today, though. Or a dirtying the lake tax, or a _dropping islands out of the sky and disrupting the ecosystems, Hero what were you thinking, I require convincing that the value of these pumpkins of yours outweighs the potential threat to my woods_ tax.

Faron says, "I see you've acquired fresh battle scars this morning. Such prowess! How proud you must be."

Link's busy looping the trailing end of the sheet over his other shoulder to keep it out of the lake, and the sodden fabric is soaking through his shirt again and dragging his shirt collar down his shoulder. He doesn't know what Faron is talking about, actually, because he hasn't seen any monsters or done any fighting yet today, only chores. Link didn't even bring his sword with him and, when he dunked himself in Lake Floria as the first piece of washing, the water didn't sting any scrapes that he doesn't remember getting.

He reaches for the slipping sheet, tugging to pull it farther up his shoulder before the damp weight of it slides off his arm completely. Faron clears her throat, as delicately as a large dragon can, as Link notices all the bright red splotches standing out against his bare skin where his collar's been gaping.

Oh.

Link grins up at Faron, because those aren't battle scars. He and Zelda are making a baby.

"Yes," Faron says, "I would never have guessed. My best wishes go to you both. I'm sure Her Grace is quite excited."

Zelda is excited, all the time. Link is too, although the first time Zelda rolled on top of him in bed and kissed him good morning and asked if he wanted to make a baby, he didn't exactly realize how much work this would be. It's a lot of work, actually.

It's not that Link minds it, because kids are great and he loves the idea of a family-their family-just as much as Zelda does. But making a baby is Link's first chore in the morning, every morning (and sometimes other times too when Zelda asks him), and he thinks in some ways it was a lot simpler being the Chosen Hero and running all over the Surface collecting things like tears and flames and tadtones. When he completed a quest, it was done. But apparently even when he and Zelda work very hard to do everything just exactly right it doesn't actually mean they'll make a baby for sure, and all they can do is wait and see, and the waiting takes a long time. And Zelda says there's no point in wasting that time, so they'll just keep trying every day until they know she's pregnant.

A _lot_ of work. But Link is always happy to take any excuse to stay in bed with Zelda a while longer in the morning, so it's not a terrible chore at all.

Link wades out of the water and plops the sheet in the basket with the rest of the washed laundry, and then he crouches in the lake to scrub at one of Zelda's dresses. Making a baby is also why he's late hauling the washing out to Lake Floria today, and now the tips of his ears and the back of his neck are going to burn red from the sun.

And he still doesn't know why everyone keeps talking about his lungs today.

Faron unfolds her arms and coughs into her hand. "Yes, what a strange coincidence," she says, clearing her throat again. "I should tell you, all those trembling Kikwis are convinced that some sort of terrible monster has broken into your house and killed your horribly as you slept. If you do not root one of those silly things out of hiding and set them straight quite soon, I expect all that whimpering and mewling and rustling in the bushes shall make me very cross indeed."

She huffs and disappears beneath the waters again, the ripples lapping at the rolled-up cuffs of Link's pants while he laughs and nods. He's sure Zelda will give him time to squeeze in another chore somewhere.


End file.
